Metro Red Line Subway

A man died Wednesday night shortly after he was struck by a Metro Red Line subway train at a station in downtown Los Angeles, authorities said. The man, believed to be about 35 years old, was hit shortly before 8:30 p.m. at the 7th Street/Metro Center station at 7th and Figueroa streets. He died upon being removed from the tracks by rescue workers, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which has jurisdiction over Metro Rail, was investigating.

A man died Wednesday night shortly after he was struck by a Metro Red Line subway train at a station in downtown Los Angeles, authorities said. The man, believed to be about 35 years old, was hit shortly before 8:30 p.m. at the 7th Street/Metro Center station at 7th and Figueroa streets. He died upon being removed from the tracks by rescue workers, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which has jurisdiction over Metro Rail, was investigating.

Daily ridership on the Metro Red Line subway has nearly doubled since expanding to the San Fernando Valley last week, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority statistics. The system averaged 120,516 riders per day as of Friday, up from an average of 65,150 in May. These numbers came a week after the lure of free rides drew half a million people to the gala opening weekend of new stations at Hollywood/Highland, Universal City and North Hollywood.

About 400 riders were safely evacuated from a Metro Red Line subway tunnel near downtown Los Angeles last weekend after equipment failures caused a four-car train to come to a virtual standstill, officials said Tuesday. The Saturday night evacuation was called after a frustrated passenger pulled open an emergency door and riders began wandering out into the tunnel between stations. Alarmed, Red Line employees shut down power to that portion of the subway to prevent electrocutions.

Daily ridership on the Metro Red Line subway has nearly doubled since expanding to the San Fernando Valley last week, according to MTA statistics. The system averaged 120,516 riders per day as of Friday, up from an average of 65,150 in May. The numbers came a week after the lure of free rides drew half a million people to the gala opening weekend of new stations at Hollywood/Highland, Universal City and North Hollywood.

In response to Peter H. King's column ("Metrolink to L.A.: All Aboard Please" Nov. 11): California's population has grown 25% over the past 10 years. The number of drivers has increased by 35% and the number of vehicle miles traveled has increased by 60%. These numbers underscore the need to develop a comprehensive regional transportation system that includes a combination of solutions. Metro Rail (subway and light rail), Metrolink (commute rail), buses, highways, car-pool lanes, bikeways and telecommuting are some of the available options that combined with land-use alternatives will help make Los Angeles a more livable place.

About 400 riders were safely evacuated from a Metro Red Line subway tunnel near downtown Los Angeles last weekend after equipment failures caused a four-car train to come to a virtual standstill, officials said Tuesday. The Saturday night evacuation was called after a frustrated passenger pulled open an emergency door and riders began wandering out into the tunnel between stations. Alarmed, Red Line employees shut down power to that portion of the subway to prevent electrocutions.

Let me see if I can get this straight. First, way back in the early 1980s, the MCA corporation told the then-county Transportation Commission that it was not interested in negotiating a deal whereby a Metro Red Line subway station would be conveniently located within the entertainment giant's property. The reason given then by MCA officials was that they did not want to be the drop-off point of every commuter in the Valley wishing to park and ride the subway into Hollywood and points east.

As breakthroughs go, it didn't sound or look like much. First, there was a gentle scraping noise as the digging apparatus--sort of like a backhoe--began clawing away from the other side at the last foot or so of earth that separated the unseen tunnelers from the vast, subterranean cavern where contractors, transit officials and news reporters waited. Then a little clump of dirt fell through, and you could see the light from the other side. The machine clawed away a little more dirt, enlarging the hole to perhaps eight feet in diameter, and about a dozen tunnelers crawled through to get their pictures taken.

Checking for small, yellow tickets, two police officers walked through the subway train as it pushed out of Hollywood. Everyone obliged. Then the officers stopped beside a bone-thin man wearing a black skullcap. He extended empty hands. No ticket. When the train stopped, the Los Angeles Police Department officers escorted the man onto a subway platform. He didn't have identification. The officers grew suspicious. He nervously gave his name.

Daily ridership on the Metro Red Line subway has nearly doubled since expanding to the San Fernando Valley last week, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority statistics. The system averaged 120,516 riders per day as of Friday, up from an average of 65,150 in May. These numbers came a week after the lure of free rides drew half a million people to the gala opening weekend of new stations at Hollywood/Highland, Universal City and North Hollywood.

Daily ridership on the Metro Red Line subway has nearly doubled since expanding to the San Fernando Valley last week, according to MTA statistics. The system averaged 120,516 riders per day as of Friday, up from an average of 65,150 in May. The numbers came a week after the lure of free rides drew half a million people to the gala opening weekend of new stations at Hollywood/Highland, Universal City and North Hollywood.

Let me see if I can get this straight. First, way back in the early 1980s, the MCA corporation told the then-county Transportation Commission that it was not interested in negotiating a deal whereby a Metro Red Line subway station would be conveniently located within the entertainment giant's property. The reason given then by MCA officials was that they did not want to be the drop-off point of every commuter in the Valley wishing to park and ride the subway into Hollywood and points east.

On Aug. 29, The Times ran an article questioning the safety of the Metro Red Line subway. Since that article was based on a draft report written before all the facts were obtained, and after reading some of the letters to the editor, I feel that clarification is necessary. Your article and the resultant concerns about concrete thickness were based on an independent consultant's draft ground-penetrating radar report. Unfortunately, the report is incomplete without required core drillings to confirm the radar data.

Lured by the promise of a fast, free ride, thousands turned out for the debut of the city's new Metro Red Line subway, transforming the inauguration into a kind of "Amusement Park for a Day." By early Saturday afternoon, the bulging lines outside MacArthur Park stretched for almost three blocks, with prospective passengers eating tacos and hot dogs and sipping soft drinks as they waited their turns.

Despite generally disappointing transit spending in next year's federal budget, the Senate Appropriations Committee's transportation subcommittee on Wednesday unexpectedly fulfilled Los Angeles' wish and recommended $110 million for the Metro Red Line subway. The full committee is expected to take up the funding today. For the first time, the Senate's Red Line funding target matches that in the House version of the 1993 transit spending bill.

Lured by the promise of a fast, free ride, thousands turned out for the debut of the city's new Metro Red Line subway, transforming the inauguration into a kind of "Amusement Park for a Day." By early Saturday afternoon, the bulging lines outside MacArthur Park stretched for almost three blocks, with prospective passengers eating tacos and hot dogs and sipping soft drinks as they waited their turns.

After 20 years of planning and $1.4 billion, the city known for its dependence on the automobile embraced its first modern subway Saturday as thousands clogged underground stations for their first free ride. While colored lights shone from above and a taped version of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" echoed through the tunnel, Los Angeles' first Metro Red Line car pulled into the station at downtown's Pershing Square at 11:35 a.m.